Upgrades to the Barn and New Additions

After the snow storm we had a visitor come crying at our door.
I was convinced it was our barn cat James and was puzzled to see him run away when I called him.
I kept calling his name and to my surprise James and what appeared to be his twin came running!!

From the top...Toby,New kitty,James

I was glad to see it was a male and not the mother of the kitten we found a couple weeks ago, I was scared of finding more kittens.
I have made him comfortable in the barn with lots of food and attention,he is a big baby loving to be held while he's purring away.
The other boys don't seem to mind him and he is quite pleased to have a place to call home.
Having a full grown tom cat show up and not want to leave is a bit strange, hubby is convinced he's been around for quite sometime and we just thought it was James...I'm not convinced.

I need a good name for this guy,any suggestions??


Well the snow is starting to melt...what a muddy,wet mess around.
I would much rather snow then this.
It is even hard going to get the wheelbarrow to the sawdust shed let alone wheel it back full.
It was so warm today I cleaned stalls with my t-shirt on!

We have been working on a few things in and for the barn the past few days.

Now that Ginger and Sugar are in hubby built a new door leading to their corral.

This door makes things so much easier!
We no longer need to go out the big door and walk 3/4 of the way around the barn through the snow and ice to turn out the cows on nice days.
Ginger and Sugar caught on pretty quick, we just open the stall door and out they go.

There used to be a door there at one point but was covered in...a nice cement ramp was still in place so that was helpful.

The cattle where moved to the "winter pasture" today.
It still allows access to the cow barn and woods and has a fresh water source that they drink from.

We may end up with a additional cow in the barn in a few weeks.
It looks like Ginny is very close to expecting a calf...
This is our first calf to be born this late in the year and of course it wasn't planned.
She will need to be in the main barn to make sure the little one stays warm enough and thrives.

Lucas our old herd sire left in November of last year,we expected he would have successfully bred all the cows by then....turns out he missed Ginny and Yeoman filled the position in late February or March.

We will be keeping a close eye on her, as her vulva is starting to "spring," becoming very loose and her udder is filling with milk.
Ginny is such a hard cow to determine how close to calving she is,I have never been right yet..only time will tell.

Ginny with her last calf,so big and still one month to go.

Well that's all for today,hope you had a successful start to your week.

Winter came in like a Lion!

We had our first major snow fall of the year yesterday.
With 38cm, just about 15 inches falling in less then 24 hours!
The storm came in fast and hard.

We spent the morning making sure the barn was ready for Ginger and Sugar to come in from the weather.

For a Jersey who was covered in snow you think she would have been slightly more cooperative in going to the barn.
She did not want to leave her friends and Sugar really didn't want to leave them but in the end decided being with her momma was the better choice.

Hubby headed over to the group to get her...

Blue kept a close eye on everyone..

With Ginger in hand he calls for Sugar..

Sugar just ran around playing in the snow so I took Ginger and led her towards the barn.
Soon Sugar cried and came running.
All the cows cried for them not wanting them to leave.

After getting them to the barn we dropped the big door down until we got them situated....that's when we heard, "MOOOOO...MOOOOO" outside the barn door!!
Uh-oh!
Hubby forgot to close the gate and all the girls were now by the barn!
I grabbed a bucket of oats and banged the side with the feed scoop,I was actually surprised at how quick they turned towards me so I passed the bucket to hubby and told him to run towards the gate.
They were excited to play in the snow to!
I caught the last few seconds of it on tape, sorry for the shakiness.

All back and happy to have a taste of oats..

It didn't take long for them to ask for more..

I love how this breed of cow would much rather stand in the snow then go in their barn or to the woods,both are available options.
They are such a cold hardy breed with all the double coat hair.

Well it was quite a snow fall that left everything beautiful today.

Wordless Wednesday...The past

The farm from 1920...

From Endangered to Critical

There are just a few thousand tigers left in the wild, and mountain gorillas are down to a few hundred. With figures like these, it's easy to overlook those less exotic animals closer to home that are facing extinction.


An over-reliance on just a few breeds of a handful of farm animal species, such as high-milk-yielding Holstein-Friesian cows, egg-laying White Leghorn chickens, and fast-growing Large White pigs, is causing the loss of an average of one livestock breed every month.

When a breed is so rare it is listed as endangered there is only between 31 and 100 registered animals of that breed.
 Endangered species are at risk of becoming extinct because there are so few of that breed left.
My Cotswold sheep have fell in that category for the past few years.

I received a newsletter from our Rare breed conservation group with a update on breed conservation status.
With a very heavy heart I read the Cotswold have now fallen into the critical category....there are now less then 30 registered purebred Cotswold's in Canada...seven living right here at Hidden Meadow Farm.

I was devastated to read on and find the majestic Highland I have come to love so much, have also dropped in numbers.
Last year they were at risk, 251-750 this year vulnerable at 76-250.

There are so many breeds of farm animals at risk of leaving us forever.

I urge you to support your local rare breed group, so many breeds of farm animals are being lost, they need your help.
What a great Christmas gift to give, you could help save a rare breed.

 Rare Breeds Canada

American Livestock Breeds Conservation

Rare Breeds Survival Trust

Rare Breeds Survival Trust Australia

SVF foundation 

I would also like to thank my fellow rare breed farmers for all your hard work and determination to save these farm animals.
And thank you to my followers who have read along about our farm journey and conservation efforts.

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Wordless Friday...

The Mountain and the Valley,

Milking cows

I could not ever see our farm with out the big eyed beauty that roams our pastures from Spring through Fall and then graces us with her happy face every time we go to the barn during the cold months.

Having a milk cow on our farm has been a great investment,both food wise and companion wise.

Are you thinking of a homestead milk cow for your farm?
If so there are a few considerations to think about.

The first and biggest is are you willing to commit to a schedule?
Milking needs to happen twice a day,everyday, yes even on those to cold to go outside and spend time milking a cow days.
Having a source for fresh milk,cheese,butter,yogurt and cream appeals to us.

A family milk cow is easy to take care of.
She will require a warm shelter,good hay,grain,pasture,water,regular stall cleaning and lots of love.
In return she with give you a calf and a supply of oh so yummy milk.


We went this am to help a friend milk her Jerseys.

Before you start make sure your milking area is clean and free of manure.
I prefer a separate area for milking used solely for that purpose.
Our Jersey is in a box stall and most dairy cows are in stanchions like these ones.

1- Dipping the teats in iodine, this cleans the teats.

2- wipe off the iodine to dry them but do not rub or irritate the teats.

 

3- Hook up the milker. This is a surge bucket milker.

We have a bucket milker and two belly milkers at the farm. The difference is the size of the can and that the belly milker has a strap that warps around the belly to hold the milker in place.

4- As the cows munches away on breakfast the surge milker pulls the milk through to the can.
The can holds around 20 liters and takes two cows to fill per milking.
The milk is vacuumed out of the cow in to the bucket by a compressor. 

5- cleaning the milking machine takes just as long as it does to milk the cow and it  is extremely important that you do a through job to make sure everything is sanitized.


Choosing a breed can be difficult but depending on your milk needs your choice should be able to narrow it down.

Our cow is a Jersey.
They are a great family cow,they are small,gentle and easy keepers and don't eat as much a larger breeds.
The butterfat is much higher in Jersey then other breeds and the cream is yellow.


We are so happy with our Jersey that while visiting the dairy yesterday where we purchased her, I was looking at all the young heifers...
I have decided that in the Spring we will be purchasing our second dairy breed heifer.

This time it will be a Brown Swiss.
Although a bigger cow who will eat more I'm a sucker for those massive ears and docile personalities.
The Swiss are slightly bigger then the Jersey and will produce a bit more milk but the butterfat is not as high,the cram is cream colored.
I have heard the Swiss produce a sweeter milk.

She will just be a calf when she comes, that way we can halter train her and raise her up to be the type of cow that is used to being handeled.
Breeding age was recommended at 15 months -two years, so it will be awhile before we milk her.

If you have any experience with the Swiss I would love to hear your opinion on the breed.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

 

Every November...

This time of year we always find a little gift or two left in our barn...

There are many feral cats living in the area.
It would seem they decide the weather is cold and its time to leave the kittens behind for us to care for.
This little girl is about 5 weeks old, she was in the box stall in the corner hiding.
I reached down to pick her up and she immediately bit me,hard.
I wrapped her up in a fleece dog coat and took her to the house to warm some milk and fed her with a syringe,she was so hungry and eagerly drank.

Today she will go to her forever home.
A friend has agreed to nurse her back to health and take good care of her.

I looked for possible siblings but have not found any.

Do you get strays on your farm?

Oh how sweet it is

"If a queen bee were crossed with a Friesian bull, would not the land flow with milk and honey?"

Oliver St.John

Today was a sweet day.
I had a surprise visit from the bee guy.
He came bearing gifts, oh such sweet, amber goodness.

This gift was a case of the finest amber honey that was produced right here from the bees on Hidden Meadow Farm.
I was beyond thrilled to receive such a magnificent gift.
This is my very first taste of honey produced from our wildflowers,orchards,blueberries and cranberries.

A sovereign remedy given freely by God to Man,delivered through the humble bee. 

Wordless Wednesday

Moving Cattle

Yesterday we all got dressed in our hunter's orange and walked the front field behind the horses to insure no trees were on the electric line.

We were planning on moving the cattle to the Oak field but this field still had a nice feeding of grass, enough for a week or so.
We have been feeding out hay for over a month, that's one 4x5 round bale a day, it's expensive ....grass is good.

Frankie is in need of hunters orange,usually we try flagging tape around her neck but I think I will sew her a coat.

I love how cows make trails in the fields,they are never straight, always curved, as you can see some parts are quite wet after a month of rain.

The dogs have a great time playing....Blue even play's leap dog with Frankie..note that his eyes are on me making sure he's not going to get in trouble..Frankie completely unsuspecting.

I have a little video,it is super blurry,not sure why, but you can still get the idea of how well socialized and willing the Highlands are...Hubby calls them to be moved, "Come on cows"....I love how near the end when there is a traffic jam Robin gets so upset.
Look at the back by the tree line you can see them running up from the meadow pasture.

The cattle are so easy to move,they are such a great breed.

Fancy is a bit big eyed at the 21 cows that are running behind their fence, she wonders if she should run to..

She figures it's safe and goes back to munching away..

The cows don't get to far,just through the woods when they stop and start testing the quality of grass.

The only problem with moving them here is damage to the pastures from being so wet..

I will take pasture damage any day to one of my critters being hurt by a senseless hunter!